News

2009 Buyers’ Guide Sneak Peeks: Kensington, Speck, more

By Charles Starrett ● Friday, October 31, 2008

Along with the V-Moda Vibe II and Griffin Navigate, noted in our prior news story, several other products made their debuts in the 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide. Speck Products debuted its QwickDraw Holster for iPhone 3G and fabric-covered Fitted Case for iPod nano 4G, both of which are expected in stores next month. Kensington debuted two similar Bluetooth kits, the Bluetooth Hands-Free Visor Car Kit and the Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit, the latter of which plugs directly into a cigarette lighter power port, removing the need for the rechargeable battery packs used in the visor-mounted model. Expect these to be released between December of 2008 and February of 2009.

Maximo unveiled its 5-Series Isolation Earphones, including the iMetal iM-590, the microphone-laden iP-595, and the iP-HS5, which uses a better microphone, soft-touch remote, and both shirt clip and lanyard options. All three models are slated for release next month. Newcomer Phantom debuted its Remixx Dock-mounting audio enhancement accessory, offering dual headphone ports, and supposed improvements to both the apparent soundstage and separation. It is expected to hit shelves in December. Finally, Scosche revealed its upcoming IDR450M and IDR600 earphones, offering metal enclosures, drivers designed to accentuate the midrange and treble in audio, and, in the case of the 450M, and integrated microphone. Both models should be available in December. For more information on these and thousands of other products for the iPod and iPhone, check out our 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide.